Dance To The Abyss
february 23-25, 2024
harbourfront centre theatre, toronto
This concert program dared to capture the unfettered spirit of the Weimar Republic - one of the most, if not the most fertile cultural periods in modern history. The arts in the Weimar Republic were at the vanguard of modernism. Expressionism permeated everything - from the films of Fritz Lang and F. W. Murnau to the paintings of Oskar Kokshka and Max Beckmann to the literature of Franz Kafka and Robert Musil. In music, the 2nd Viennese school and Jazz pointed towards the future and the Dada movement aimed to break with the past. The highlights included Dada and jazz influenced works by Erwin Schulhoff, music from the Berlin Cabaret, selections from the Three Penny Opera and a couple of surprises.
Repertoire/Credits/Media
🔈 Introduction, Andrew Burashko
Hot Sonate for Alto Saxophone & Piano (1930)
i. quarter note = 66
ii. half note = 112
iii. quarter note = 80
iv. half note = 132
Wallace Halladay saxophone, Andrew Burashko piano
🔈 Introduction to Cabaret Songs, Andrew Burashko
Cabaret Songs, Mischa Spoliansky
🎥 i. L’heure Bleue
🎥 ii. Sensucht
🎥 iii. I Am A Vamp
Patricia O’Callaghan singer, Drew Jurecka violin, Andrew Burashko piano
🔈 Introduction to Sonata Erotica, Andrew Burashko
🎥 Sonata Erotica for Female Voice, Erwin Schulhoff
Martha Burns, actor
🎥 Minnie the Moocher, Cab Calloway
arranged by Andrew Burashko and Jim McGarath
Treated with “Nazi Germany’s Dance band Rules & Regulations” from Josef Skvorecky’s The Bass Saxophone
Andrew Burashko piano, Andrew Downing double bass, Kelsley Grant trombone, Wallace Halladay alto saxophone/clarinet, Nathan Hiltz guitar/banjo, Drew Jurecka violin, Larry Larson trumpet, Kris Maddigan percussion, Lydia Munchinsky cello, Kevin Turcotte trumpet, Perry White tenor saxophone/clarinet
INTERMISSION
🔈 Introduction to Jazz Etudes, Andrew Burashko
Jazz Etudes for Piano, Erwin Schulhoff
i. Charleston
ii. Blues
iii. Chanson
iv. Tango
v. Toccata sur le Shimmy (Kitten on the Keys)
Excerpts from the Three Penny Opera, Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht
Translation by Marc Blitztein
i. Ballad of Mack the Knife
ii. Pirate Jenny
iii. Tango Ballad
iv. Barbara’s Song
v. How to Survive
Patricia O’Callaghan and John Millard, singers
Andrew Burashko piano, Andrew Downing double bass, Kelsley Grant trombone, Wallace Halladay alto saxophone/clarinet, Nathan Hiltz guitar/banjo, Drew Jurecka violin, Larry Larson trumpet, Kris Maddigan percussion, Lydia Munchinsky cello, Kevin Turcotte trumpet, Perry White tenor saxophone/clarinet
Bonnie Beecher, lighting designer
Kat Chin, stage manager
Artists
Photos
Press
